Libyan pilots escape to Malta in Mirage jets

[SpArK]

Libyan pilots escape to Malta in Mirage jets​

Two pilots from the Libyan Air Force flew their 1970s French built Dassault Mirage F1 aircraft the short distant of 221 miles to Malta International Airport (MLA) on Monday, February 21, 2011, according to Associated Press reports, and asked for political asylum, rather than follow orders and bomb their fellow citizens in the city of Benghazi, where they were protesting the 40 year autocratic reign of Muammar al-Gaddafi.

The two Mirage F1 jets touched down in Malta after the pilots said they urgently needed to refuel and sought emergency clearance to land. The Times of Malta reported that they had also brought with them two other members of the Libyan armed forces. The pilots, both Air Force colonels, said that after taking off from Okba Ben Nafi base, they flew low through Libyan air space to avoid radar detection.

Colonel Gaddafi, who is formally known as Leader and Guide of the Revolution, has been in power since September 1, 1969 when he led a bloodless coup d'état against King Idris of Libya. He is the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders and historically, one of the longest serving rulers of all time.

Richard M. Nixon was President of the U.S. when Gaddafi seized power. During his time as head of Libya, the United States has been led by eight different Presidents.

The flight to freedom came after protesters in Libya had seized control of Benghazi, the country's second largest city, with an estimated population of 700,000.

Demonstrations in Libya began after the ouster of rulers in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt, countries forming bookends to Libya, which is sandwiched between them. It also follows other uprisings in the Middle East, that have seen recent populist demonstrations in Jordan, Yemen, Bahrain, Iran, and Morocco, extending into parts of Africa in a tidal wave of revolt against other entrenched autocratic regimes.

The two Mirage pilots are currently in custody by the Maltese police, awaiting further investigation. At the same time, two civilian helicopters carrying French oil rig workers also landed in Malta after leaving Libya without clearance.

The Republic of Malta is an independent European country with a parliamentary form of government located in the southern Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Tunisia. It has a population of less than half a million people, and was formerly part of the British Empire. It became independent from Great Britain on September 21, 1964, and has since become a European Union (EU) member state on May 1, 2004.

According to a report in the British newspaper The Guardian, the two pilots defected as Libyan diplomats in several countries and international organisations resigned in protest over the regime's violent response to the deepening crisis. Included are Muammar Gaddafi's ambassadors to China, India, Indonesia and Poland, as well as Libya's representative to the Arab League and most, if not all, of its mission at the United Nations.

Many countries, including the U.S. and Great Britain have condemned Gaddafi's assault on civilians, in which an estimated 300 or more persons have been killed. Accurate information from Libya has been spotty, as the government has clamped down on the foreign press, and shut off other forms of communications, including Internet access.

According to the web site Fighter Planes, The Mirage F1, which was introduced in 1973, was sold for $11 million. Various versions of the aircraft are currently in operation in Ecuador, France, Gabon, Iran, Jordan, Libya, Morocco, and Spain. The supersonic plane can fly at Mach 2.2, with a maximum speed of 1,453 mph, a combat radius of 265 miles, a range of 1,335 miles, a service ceiling of 65,500 feet, and a rate of climb of 47,815 feet per minute.

Libyan pilots escape to Malta in Mirage jets - National Airlines/Airport | Examiner.com

 

[Spring Onion]

what was the need for that ????????///

 

[Gazzi]

They could have at least dropped their payloads of the Gaddafi Regime powerhouses before making their escape........now their families are going to be killed for no reason, at least they could have achieved something, by this the Libyan Air Force would think hundreds times before sending in another Sorty in fear of the Pilot turning against them.

 

[blackops]

what was the need for that ????????///

They did not wanted to kill there fellow citizens

 

[Jigs]

You know it is coming to an end when your ordered to bomb your own country and people.

 

[rubyjackass]

They could have at least dropped their payloads of the Gaddafi Regime powerhouses before making their escape........now their families are going to be killed for no reason, at least they could have achieved something, by this the Libyan Air Force would think hundreds times before sending in another Sorty in fear of the Pilot turning against them.

They would have done that. Probably they don't know the coordinates.

 

[hembo]

Libya demands return of fighter jets
Posted 1 hour 4 minutes ago

Libya has demanded that Malta return two Libyan fighter jets that landed there after their pilots refused to bomb protesters and defected, a Maltese foreign ministry spokesman said.

But Malta has not yet replied, he said, and declined to specify how the request was made.

The two aircraft are under armed guard at the airport in Luqa, he said, adding that the government is considering requests for political asylum by the two pilots, both senior colonels of the Libyan air force.

The pair, who flew French-made Mirage jets, said they defected after receiving orders to bomb protesters in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, Libya's second biggest city and the epicentre of revolts since February 15.

Earlier this week, a fighter pilot disobeyed orders to bomb Benghazi and ditched his plane in the desert after he and his co-pilot ejected, a report said.

The island of Malta is the closest European nation to Libya, separated by just 350 kilometres.

- AFP

 

[CardSharp]

Some outdated Mirages are the least of Gaddafi's concern.